What project BC1 buys
This project matures technologies, methodologies and models to enhance Soldier and small unit performance, survivability, and effectiveness across operational and training environments. By integrating innovative methodologies, advanced materials, and cutting-edge technologies and training techniques, the project addresses critical challenges in Soldier and small unit mobility, sustainment, lethality, and readiness. It optimizes and integrates Soldier Performance through the development of methods, metrics, and modeling tools that quantify Soldier-system interactions, improve physical and cognitive capacity, and enhance resiliency under combat stress, while improving the collection, aggregation, processing and display of data to inform operationally relevant decisions within the Command. Combat ration and field feeding technologies are optimized to enhance Warfighter performance, mitigate risks from chemical and biological contaminants, and reduce logistical burdens to enable semi-independent operations. It matures advanced manufacturing technologies and novel materials to meet the Army's unique needs in future operating environments, including sustaining distribution operations in contested areas. This project matures live, virtual and constructive training technologies for dismounted Soldiers by reducing computational burden and enhancing scalability of training exercises as well as architectures to integrate cyberspace and information warfare effects across these environments. Precision aerial delivery systems are advanced to improve the accuracy of cargo delivery in GPS-denied environments and enhance personnel insertion safety, supporting tactical resupply and operational concepts. This project also advances integration of power and energy technologies to support dismounted Soldier and small unit operations, enabling effective use of command, control, communications, computers, and sensor devices while reducing physical burden. This project also complements and is fully coordinated with work performed across Army, Navy, and Air Force under the Human Systems Community of Interest: Systems Interfaces & Cognitive Processes and Protection, Sustainment, and Warfighter Performance.
Project BC1 funding, FY2025–FY2031
Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure. Projects carry the full five-year plan; the activities inside them stop at the budget year.
| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 7.1 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 10.8 |
| FY2027 | Request | 54.8 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 72.4 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 76.7 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 78.5 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 79.3 |
9 accomplishments / planned programs
The R-2A exhibit — the only level of the budget that describes work that has not happened yet. Activities carry the prior, current and budget year only, no five-year plan. 3 of them describe FY2027 work in enough detail to have their own page; the rest are shown here in full. Coverage is partial across the corpus, so count activities, never total them.
Will initiate integration of predictive models and artificial intelligence (AI) recommender tool for Command decision support; will demonstrate and validate integration of the advanced analytic platform into a human performance data management system for Command decisions at echelon; demonstrate human-machine interaction (multi-modal…
Read the FY2027 plan →Will mature training, simulation, and operational capabilities by optimizing and integrating cutting-edge technologies across multiple domains. Will validate and demonstrate Spatial Phase Imaging (SPI) sensors for real-time 3D object identification, target recognition, and direct fire engagements during simulated exercises. Cyberspace…
Read the FY2027 plan →Will begin demonstration and validation of next generation static line parachute, incorporating new material and design characteristics; Perform integration and demonstration of technologies in support of long range Joint Precision AirDrop System (JPADS) variants, at distances in excess of 10x of current capabilities; Validate mission…
Read the FY2027 plan →FY2027 planned work Will continue advancing research and development in the competency areas of advanced manufacturing processes; composite research in support of advanced manufacturing; additive manufacturing technologies; design for additive manufacturing and digital manufacturing and design innovation; research will focus on large scale, large-volume additive / subtractive and hybrid manufacturing capable of rapidly producing large-scale attritable items for a variety of future operational environment use cases.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase reflects transfer from Program Element (PE) 0603044A (Soldier Advanced Technology) / Project DO2 (Modernized Composites & Manufacturing Adv Dev) to streamline and optimize the Science and Technology (S&T) portfolio.
FY2027 planned work Will improve charging infrastructure components at company and below for dismounted optimized charging of Soldier equipment and sUAS platforms and standardize a small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) battery-to-charger adapter to support all dismounted standardized batteries, improving sustainment, reducing battery downtime, and increasing availability of rechargeable energy storage systems.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase is to develop domestically sourced battery technology.
FY2027 planned work Will demonstrate proof-of-concept in operational setting for data movement and storage (e.g., one of the Combat Training Centers); mature data flow and display within the Command to support decisions at the correct echelon; mature the data pipeline for JHRM integration to ensure blast exposure can be tracked over a Soldier's career.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase reflects the strategic realignment of resources to support evolving priorities and objectives.
FY2027 planned work Will advance novel thermal sterilization technologies with reduced heat exposure time, for improved ration quality and nutrient retention; will develop a side component with optimized protein content to maximize energy and minimize nutrient deficiency, supporting the Unitized Group Ration Heat & Serve/Express ration platforms; will demonstrate a high-performance rapid biological water decontamination technology, using locally-sourced water, to reduce reliance and facilitate expeditionary 7-day missions without resupply.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding increase reflects transfer from Program Element (PE) 0603118A (Soldier Lethality Advanced Technology) / Project BE2 (Joint Service Combat Feeding Advanced Technology) to streamline and optimize the Science and Technology (S&T) portfolio.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Soldier/Squad-System Technology Integration for Lethality & Readiness within project.
FY2026 plans — current year Will mature automated advanced analytics using large language models (LLM) to enable small unit and leader decision making and work with partners to refine uses cases, user interface, and information needs; mature and demonstrate advanced analytics (performance prediction models) into a human-performance ecosystem and work with FORSCOM partners to refine use-cases, user interface, information needs, organization data flows, system and network requirements, etc.
FY2025 accomplishments Will mature performance prediction models by integrating expanded model inputs (e.g., physical performance and cognitive and physical interactions) into simulated and field assessments for refinement and validation; conduct user touch points on updated prediction model to inform usability and integration requirements; and mature framework for incorporating real-time Soldier data (e.g., data from wearables) into performance models.
FY2026 to FY2027 change Funding decrease reflects realignment to Soldier/Squad-System Technology Integration for Lethality & Readiness within project.
FY2026 plans — current year Will continue to validate supplementation interventions to mitigate fatigue and enhance Soldier operational performance; assess the impact of select commercial technologies on cognitive and physical performance; demonstrate methods/metrics that quantify impacts of tech and equipment on aspects of Soldier & Squad combat power and mission performance via lab and/or field STPs; improve 3D digital models for integration into modeling and simulation tools.
FY2025 accomplishments Will investigate and demonstrate the ability (through methods and metrics) to quantify the effects of a subset of equipment configurations (e.g., body armor levels) on individual and small unit mobility, lethality, and survivability to inform acquisition decisions (resulting data will inform efforts to model the effects of Soldier equipment on performance);demonstrate the integration of wearable physical augmentation technology to determine effects on human-system performance; and mature strategies for optimizing cognitive performance under stress.